This invention relates to building structures having metal or like siding mounted on walls thereof, and more particularly to so-called vertical siding systems for building walls. In an important specific sense, the invention is directed to vertical siding systems, for exterior walls, designed to simulate the appearance of wooden board-and-batten siding.
As used herein, the terms "building" and "building structure" will be understood to include mobile homes as well as houses and other buildings constructed in situ.
Metal and like siding systems are widely used on exterior walls in present-day building construction, in place of conventional wooden siding. These systems afford various advantages over wood, notably including durability and freedom from maintenance; prepainted metal siding panels, for example, do not require frequent repainting as is ordinarily needed in the case of wooden shingles or clapboards. Desirably, such siding systems should be structurally simple and easy to install, yet secure against dislodgment when in place. It is also desirable in many instances that the siding system provide insulation for the building on which it is mounted, and that is be capable of serving as a complete exterior wall in itself, i.e. when attached directly to supporting wall structure such as studs.
Typically, a metal siding system comprises an array of elongated metal panels secured adjacent their edges as by nails to the supporting wall structures, and interlocked or otherwise so arranged that the nailholes and the joints between panels are shielded from penetration by atmospheric moisture. A siding system is termed "horizontal" if the long dimensions of the panels are oriented horizontally, and "vertical" if the long dimensions of the panels are oriented vertically. Generally speaking, for aesthetic reasons metal siding systems are designed to resemble traditional wooden wall surfaces; a horizontal system is employed to simulate the appearance of horizontal wooden clapboards, for example, while a vertical system is used when it is desired to simulate the appearance of vertical wood siding such as boards and battens.
It has heretofore been proposed to provide a vertical metal siding system wherein only one side edge of each panel is nailed to the supporting wall, while the other side edge of each panel overlaps and interlocks with the nailed edge of the panel immediately next to it, thereby securing the panels and covering the joints and nailboards; the overlapping edge portion of each panel is formed into a raised vertical rib projecting outwardly with respect to the major surface of the panel so as to simulate the appearance of conventional wooden board-and-batten siding. This overlapping arrangement, however, has disadvantages in that the configuration of the panels militates against provision of a continuous insulating layer by simply adhering an insulating backing to each panel, and also in that the overlapping, interlocked arrangement of panels ordinarily prevents replacement of a damaged panel unless the entire array of interlocked panels (on the wall containing the damaged panel) is removed. Alternatively, it has heretofore been proposed to resort to assemblies of multiple different and relatively complex component elements (presenting difficulties of installation) to achieve the desired protective coverage of joints and nailholes, and the desired resemblance to wooden walls, in vertical metal siding systems. In particular, it has been difficult to achieve a functionally satisfactory metal siding system that effectively simulates the appearance of board-and-batten siding, i.e. siding constituted of broad, flush vertical wood boards with the joints between boards covered by outwardly projecting narrow vertical wood battens.